The abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States has been suspended upon President Rodrigo Duterte’s instruction, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said Tuesday night.

Locsin posted on Twitter a diplomatic note dated June 1 to the US Embassy in …

The municipal government here has officially opened its infectious diseases isolation facility at the municipal wharf to cater to suspected and probable coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases and other infectious diseases.

In an interview Wednesday, Mayor Liseldo Calugay said the 45-bed isolation facility is …

The Police Regional Office-9 (PRO-9) has deployed a total of 360 newly-recruited policemen in different police stations across the region for a six-month of Field Training Exercises/On-the-Job Training (FTX/OJT).

Brig. Gen. Froilan Quidilla, PRO-9 director, said Thursday the deployment of policemen on FTX is …

The Regional Board of Investments of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (RBOI-BARMM) has conducted an on-site survey on four big processing companies in Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao to determine the status of business and investments of various firms affected by the coronavirus …

The rise of digital payment transactions in the country resulted in the increase in financial crimes, with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) receiving around 100 complaints during the lockdown period alone.

In a virtual briefing Thursday, Melchor Plabasan, director of the BSP’s Technology …

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Central Visayas has commended the regional winner of the 2019 Exemplary Pantawid Pamilya Children for helping other poor people during the health crisis.

The DSWD-7 on Tuesday recognized the good deeds of 13-year-old Jhon Rhod …

Two returning residents of South Cotabato province who were previously stranded in Metro Manila and Cebu due to the heightened community quarantine have tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), officials confirmed on Wednesday.

The Department of Finance (DOF) is studying how to collect value-added tax (VAT) from local and cross-border digital transactions parallel to its neighbors in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

This, as the US is reportedly investigating the digital services tax of the …

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Wednesday inspected the health safety protocols being carried out by workplaces in Metro Iloilo to avoid the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

The Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), the law-making body of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will resume its regular session starting June 16 after more than two months of hiatus due to the coronavirus disease 20-19 (Covid-19) pandemic.

Athletes and sports figures in the US are showing solidarity with protesters against the killing in police custody of George Floyd, an unarmed African-American man, by posting images on social media of black squares.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte may set a deadline for government agencies to provide compensation to health care workers who became severely ill or died of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), Malacañang said on Wednesday.

The number of inbound and outbound domestic passengers to be accommodated at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) would not be limited as compared to arriving international passengers, Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) general manager Ed Monreal said Tuesday.

The public can expect that the PHP100-billion budget earmarked for the implementation of the second phase of the social amelioration program (SAP) will be disbursed to the rightful beneficiaries and will not be pocketed by corrupt local officials, Malacañang said on Wednesday.

Law enforcement operations in Eastern Visayas remain unhampered amid health crisis as 15 most wanted persons (WNP) and 491 other law offenders were arrested in 15 days, the regional police reported on Tuesday.

Mayor Benjamin Magalong on Tuesday said they are targeting to do a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test to at least 300,000 residents to see the real coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) situation here.

Manila seeks to continue its strong military partnership with the United States as it suspends the termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said Wednesday.

“We look forward to continuing our strong military partnership with US even as we …

Members of the minority bloc of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) has asked the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to institute an independent, transparent, merit-based, and credible hiring process for the regional government.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Wednesday said the new anti-terrorism bill certified as urgent by President Rodrigo Duterte will preserve the country’s sovereignty and promote peace.

“The intention of the Anti-Terrorism Bill of 2020 is to preserve our sovereignty, …

The decision to place an area under a particular quarantine classification status is now dependent on the local government units (LGUs) that have first-hand knowledge of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) situation in the locality, a regional health official said on Wednesday.

The Land Bank of the Philippines (Landbank) has approved a PHP250-million loan for an educational institution under its Access to Academic Development to Empower the Masses towards Endless Opportunities (ACADEME) lending program.

During the Laging Handa public briefing aired over state-owned television station PTV-4 …

Eastern Visayas will spend about PHP489 million to boost its rice production during this health crisis through the provision of seeds, fertilizers, and technical assistance to over 111,000 farmers in the poverty-stricken region.

Rice Resiliency Project (RRP) is the first initiative of the national …

Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso on Wednesday urged parents to take the opportunity to enroll their children for the incoming school year 2020-2021 amid fears over the coronavirus pandemic.

The enrollment period started last June 1 and will continue until June 30, as …

The Department of Education (DepEd) 1 (Ilocos region) has requested parents to enroll their children online or via text messaging in the first two weeks of June so the department could prepare the accurate number of instructional materials for this school year.

Several senators on Wednesday welcomed President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to temporarily suspend the abrogation of the Philippines’ Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States amid current national, regional and international developments.

Senator Francis Tolentino said suspending the abrogation of the VFA “is indeed …

Secretary Carlito Galvez, chief implementer of the National Action Plan on Covid-19, has commended Western Visayas ( Region 6) on its response efforts against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

Galvez was in this city on Tuesday to convene with the Western Visayas Regional …

The police anti-drug units have arrested three persons, including a high-value individual (HVI), and seized some PHP361,800 worth of illegal drugs and a firearm in separate buy-bust operations in this city, an official said Tuesday.